Uttarakhand avalanche rescue finds two dead as authorities ban high altitude treks

UPDATE - follow-up to Two bodies found on trekking route in Uttarakhand; six team members untraced: Search teams found the remains of one woman and one man on Tuesday during operations along the Kedartal trekking path in Uttarkashi.

Search and Rescue

Rescuers are still looking for six other missing persons from the same group. The eight individuals vanished after an avalanche hit the area on October 30. The missing group includes two people from Uttar Pradesh, five from West Bengal, and one guide. Teams from the State Disaster Response Force, the National Disaster Response Force, and the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering are searching at a height of about 4,000 metres. Heavy snow blizzards and tough ground forced workers to stop for the day around 3 p.m. and head back to base.

Trekking Bans

Officials have now stopped all trekking permits for areas at 4,000 metres and higher because of bad weather. The Gangotri National Park and the Uttarkashi Forest Division made this decision after heavy snow started on October 29. The Gaumukh-Tapovan path is now closed, and new permits are blocked for the Kedartal, Kalindi Khal, and Udankol paths.

Context

High altitude mountain routes in Uttarakhand often face sudden snow storms and avalanches during late autumn. These weather events make rescue operations extremely dangerous and difficult for ground teams.